


Just Breathe

by InvisiNinja



Series: Check Him Out [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Ambiguous/Open Ending, BAMF Pepper Potts, Bisexual Tony Stark, Happy Ending, M/M, Not Beta Read, POV Pepper Potts, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Protective Pepper Potts, Tony Stark Has Self-Esteem Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, but technically a
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 19:47:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15322953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvisiNinja/pseuds/InvisiNinja
Summary: Pepper finds Tony freaking out about having met his mystery note person and proceeds to pry all the details out of him and pushes him to be ballsy for once in his life.(Can be read as a stand alone.)





	Just Breathe

Pepper was absolutely exhausted. She had just finished her last exam. She knew she aced this one like all the others, but that didn’t make all the hard nights of cramming any less stressful on her mind and body. Especially, when all her exams were back to back for a whole week. At least that meant she could finally relax and enjoy her free. 

Pepper got off the elevator and grabbed her keys from her bag. She made her way to her door and unlocked it and realized there was no resistance. Her door was unlocked which alarmed her thinking there was a big chance there was someone lurking in her apartment. She stuck her hand back into her bag to get a hold of some pepper spray as she opened the door with her other hand. 

She slowly entered and noticed a familiar pair of shoes in front of the door. She heard pacing nearby and as she looked up, she sighed, “Oh, it’s just you. You know, you give me a heart attack every time you leave the door unlocked?”

Pepper tossed her things on a chair near the entrance and made her way to the living room where her best friend was freaking out for some reason. He said, “Pep! You’re home. Thank god. I’ve been waiting since forever. I need your help.”

“I don’t know why you’d need my help, Tony. We don’t have the same major. Plus, you’re a literal genius. And if it’s anything else besides exams, then it’s not that important,” Pepper lectured as she took a seat on the couch and turned on the TV. 

Tony simply replied with, “I met him.” 

She rolled her eyes, “We’re not playing the pronoun game.”

“Mystery note person!” Tony exclaimed. 

Pepper bolted straight up in her seat and grabbed at Tony’s arm pulling him down onto the couch with her, “You should’ve started with that. Tell me everything.” She turned her body to face his and propped her head up with her arm on the back of the couch. 

Tony sat there tapping his foot away and twiddled with his thumbs. “Well, I guess it started out like any other time I’d go to the library, albeit a little earlier than usual, and I was walking do-”

Pepper scoffed and slapped Tony in the arm, “Okay fine, not everything. Just start with when you met him.” 

“Ummmmm. I was just looking for the book we usually exchange notes in and I noticed it wasn’t there.”

“Aww. You must’ve been so disappointed.”

Tony turned to face Pepper and gave an unamused look as he blushed, “Are you gonna be like this the whole way through?” 

Pepper brought her fingers to her lips and mimed zipping her mouth shut. She couldn’t help but let a smirk rest on her face. Wow, Tony Stark blushing. Just who is this guy? 

Tony continued, “Uhh. Then I tried to turn and leave and noticed that there was something in the way. And it’s this guy with our, I mean my, I mean the book in his hand and a pen in the other. And I, uh, may have accused him of writing in the book like the fucking idiot I am!” He slapped his hands onto his face and groaned into them. 

Pepper tried to stifle a laugh as she said, “Come on! Continue. You can get embarrassed later. After I know all the details.” 

Tony peeked at Pepper through his fingers and dropped them back onto his lap. “He told me the pen was for the note that was in there and then everything just clicked. He was mystery note guy. Some stuff happened, and we introduced ourselves and we exchanged numbers. We talked about going on a date after exams were over.” 

“Umm, excuse me. ‘Some stuff happened’. I am your best friend. None of this bull. And you still haven’t told me what he looks like. What’s his name? Do I know him? When’s this date? When did this happen?” 

If Tony’s face could get any redder, he’d be a tomato. He blurted, “We flirted, okay! We flirted! I said boob pocket and he laughed. I talked like an idiot even more than usual and he still liked it. And he is the most gorgeous being I have ever seen grace this planet. His hair. His eyes. His smile. His laugh. His muscles. I just wanna lick him all over. Steve. His name’s Steve. I don’t know if you know him. You might, you know everyone. We haven’t planned the date yet. Everything happened this morning.” 

Pepper finally let out the laugh she had been trying so hard to not escape as Tony monologued. “Not much of a description, but I’ll take it.” Hmm, Steve. It rung a certain bell. “Why don’t you just text him? You can’t seem to stop thinking about him.”

Tony looked absolutely shocked, “He’ll think I’m desperate. I mean I am, but he doesn’t need to know that. Besides exams, right? What if he thinks I’m stupid because I’m texting him and not studying? He’ll realize what a mess I am before we even go on that date. Oh my god. I shouldn’t even bother. He’ll realize I’m a mess and leave and I’ll be devastated like usual and-”

Pepper grabbed both of Tony’s flailing arms and set them on her lap. She stared him straight in the eye, “Calm down and just breathe.” She waited until Tony began to copy her breathing before continuing, “We are all a mess, Tony. No one is perfect. And if there is anybody on this planet that I think deserves to find happiness more than anyone, it’s you. And if he doesn’t realize what a beautiful and amazing person you are, I will drop kick his ass all the way to Antarctica before you can say ‘Pepper, don’t’”. 

If Tony’s eyes started to tear up, neither said anything about it. Tony raised his right hand up, palm facing away. He put up his thumb, index and pinky finger while keeping the rest down and moved his hand back and forth slightly. 

Pepper’s eyes softened, “I love you too, you idiot.” Then, she got up, grabbed her phone form her bag and proceeded to make her way to the kitchen. “Text him.”

“I’m sorry what.” 

“You heard me. Text him. Or I’ll do it for you. If he thinks you’re desperate or stupid or a mess or whatever adjective you come up with that is self-deprecating, then he’ll find out who Pepper Potts is and what she’s capable of real soon,” Pepper insisted as she typed something into her phone. A couple of seconds later and she called out, “James is coming over later. I’m gonna make lasagna for tonight.” 

Twenty minutes later as Pepper was just about done prepping all the ingredients to let sit until everything needed to be combined and put into the oven, Tony let out a shout, “I did it. I sent it.”

Pepper rolled her eyes, not surprised that it took Tony this long to send the text, “What’d you send?”

“‘Hey Steve, I know we said we’d wait until after exams but I don’t think I can wait that long. I would really like it if we could go on a date soon. maybe friday? You can definitely say no if you want, I just… I just really want to see you again. Oh this is Tony by the way. In case you didn’t know. Which you probably did. But you know, just in case’.”

Pepper chuckled. Tony’s eyes shot up at Pepper, “What? Is it too much? Shit! What do I do? I can’t take it back now. I can’t say never mind either.” 

“It’s fine. It’s just really you, that’s all.” He calmed down a bit at that. 

Tony set his phone down on the coffee table and leaned back into the couch. He tried to keep his eyes on the TV, but his gaze kept wandering back to the phone. 

Minutes later, his phone vibrated. Tony lunged at his phone and quickly turned it on. “He texted back!” Tony began to jump up and down in joy, then running around the couch like a lunatic. “He said ‘I’d love to and Friday is perfect. Smiley face.’” 

Pepper smiled at the sight of Tony being so happy and returned back to catching James up on Tony’s mystery note person.

**Author's Note:**

> I just find it really funny how I'm writing about everything, but the date that they're both supposed to go on. xD But I hope you enjoyed it anyways. 
> 
>  
> 
> No one probably cares, but my reason that Tony signs "I love you" is because he grew up never hearing it from his parents, so it's just weird to him. Even if he wants to say it, it feels too overwhelming and scary. Jarvis and Ana probably say it to him, but he still can't do it. Then in high school, he met Clint who's deaf and after discovering such a different and beautiful way of 'speaking' language, he chose to say "I love you" that way (if ever needed). And all this backstory stemmed from me finding sign language so interesting and decided "hey this would be cool to incorporate here" :p


End file.
